


Fragments

by erzayona



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Tony Stark Needs a Hug, and oxygen, he needs food too, nasa save tony stark please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-17 16:07:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16977744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erzayona/pseuds/erzayona
Summary: They all died, turned to dust in front of his eyes.That, or they're on Earth. Out of reach. Unsaveable.There's nothing but fragments left.





	1. Titan

There was nothing but ash and dust left.

Tony stared at the ash on his hands – all that was left of _him_.

_Peter._

He felt something inside him crack open, break.

They’d lost. No victory cries for the Avengers, not this time. They’d lost, the fight and with it something irreplaceable.

Tony stared at the ash on his hands, and waited to die.

Second

After

Second

They ticked by.

“Tony –“ said a voice. The girl. Nebula. But Tony couldn’t look at her, couldn’t turn away –

“Please,” he whispered, his voice desperate. “Please.”

Second after second, he stared at his trembling hands. He waited.

But when the wind began to pick up and stir the ashes of his fallen friends, his fallen comrades –

He knew.

He wasn’t going to die.

The thought was accompanied by a horrible, sickening dread.

_Why?_

_Why me?_

“Tony. Tony, come on, we have to get out of here before Thanos comes back.”

He barely registered her words. They were all dead. His friend and his loved ones that had _made_ him – they were all dead. They were all dead, and he was left with his _worthless_ life, and he was alone.

Nebula was grabbing his arm, pulling him towards the Guardian’s fallen ship. He didn’t care. He felt numb and cold and strange. He should have felt sad, angry, something. He knew Nebula felt it, could feel the fury underlying her every motion. But he – he just felt tired.

He was so, so tired.

So he let Nebula drag him towards the ship, let her fiddle with the controls until the door hissed open. As he stepped onto the ship, he looked back one more time.

His eyes found Doctor Strange’s ashes.

“You should have let me die.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in about 10 minutes because I watched the Endgame trailer and was suddenly HIT WITH INSPIRATION  
> I'll probably be updating this more.


	2. Pepper Potts

Click.

“Is this thing on?”

Blue light flashes across his skin. That’s a yes. He takes a shuddering breath.

“Hey Ms. Potts.”

Her name. Just saying her name hurts.

“If you find this recording, don’t feel bad about this. Part of the journey is the end.”

This was the end of his journey, then. He supposed he’d had a good run.

“Just for the record. Being adrift in space with… zero promise of rescue is more fun than it sounds.” His voice is weak and raspy, but he tries for a smile. He’s lying. She’ll know he’s lying. She always does.

“Food and water ran out… four days ago.” He thinks. It’s hard keeping track of time.

“Oxygen runs out tomorrow morning.” So close. He’s so ready for it to all be over. “And when I drift off, I will dream about you. It’s always you.”

Click.

The light fades.

He checks that the recording is off.

And Tony Stark breaks down.

He sobs and sobs and sobs but no tears come out because of his dehydration. He can hardly hear himself cry above the deafening silence of space. His breath is a wheeze, a sad remnant.

If Pepper were here, she would be shocked. Because he had always been strong with her. For her. Because of her. For Pepper, for Peter, for Rhodey, hell, even for Happy, he’d always had a smile. A wisecrack. But now…

Nebula is long gone in her own ship to try to find rescue. Peter is dead. He prays that Pepper and Rhodey and everyone else he loves on Earth are still alive, but he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know anymore.

No one can see him now.

There’s no one to pretend for anymore.

Alone in space, Tony Stark continues to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was anyone else crying watching this? Cuz I definitely was


	3. Rhodey

Click.

“Rhodey. Buddy.”

He smiles, a broken grin filled with ghosts. It fades quickly.

“You were always telling me to be more careful. I should have listened, huh? Maybe if you were here, things would’ve been… different.”

Guilt lances through him, hot and sharp. How could he say that? How could he wish Rhodey was here when he would just get hurt? Look what happened in the airport. Tony shakes his head. Continues.

“I wish I had told you sooner. How thankful I am for you. You never left me. Even when I was… whatever I was. You never left.”

“And now I’m alone in space. I don’t know if this recording will reach you. I hope it does. Because I need you to know how grateful I am.” Tony can feel the tears rising at the back of his throat. He forces them down.

“If you see this… in the Avengers compound, downstairs, there’s keypad. I told you it was nothing, probably just a design mistake. I lied.” He lied about so many things. He wishes he could take it all back.

“The pin is 3982. All of the suits I’ve ever made, they’re all down there. New War Machine suits. Hulkbuster armor. Stuff for…” he falters. “Stuff for the kid. And… an upgraded version of my own suit. Iron-man.”

He takes a deep breath.

“It’s all yours. All the suits, they’re yours. You can stay War Machine, get a better suit. Or…”

He swallows sharply.

“Or… well, the world’s going to need a new Iron-man.”

He places his hand on his helmet, feeling for the off button.

“You don’t have to. I don’t expect you to want to. But if you do… the mantle is there. It’s waiting for you… Iron-man.”

Click.


	4. Peter

Click.

“Hey, Pete.”

And then he’s crying, and he can’t stop. He tries and he tries – he doesn’t want the kid to see this part of him. But he can’t stop crying.

“I’m so sorry,” he gasps. “I’m so, so, sorry, kid. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”

_It should have been me._

He doesn’t know how long he cries. It feels like forever. But eventually, he calms.

“They’re gonna bring you back. I know they are. You’re an Avenger now.”

Amazingly, he smiles. And for the first time, he feels like it’s real.

“I’m proud of you, kid.”

Click.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :'(


	5. Steve

He didn’t know when he’d drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, it looked the same as before. Day and night were indistinguishable, in space. Tony reached to his side and pressed a button, causing light to flicker up into a display.

Oxygen Levels: 58%.

It had been 100, just before he fell asleep.

So this really was the end.

For a while, he just sat there, watching the percentage tick down.

57…56…55…54…

At 45, a thought hit him. He fumbled for his helmet.

He had one more recording to make. One more goodbye.

Click.

“Hey, Steve.”

He swallowed, mulling the words over in his head.

“I just want you to know… I forgive you. And yeah, I’m sorry too.”

He sighed.

“Maybe if we had fought him together, we wouldn’t have lost. Maybe it’s my fault. I had the phone, I was going to call… but… I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

 “Please. If you see this, save him. The kid, Spider-man, _Peter_ , he died and it’s all my fault. I would do anything, _anything_ , for it to have been me instead, I swear, but I can’t.” His voice cracked. “I can’t do anything. So please… for old time’s sake. Save him.”

“Please.”

Click.

22%.

He leaned back, sighed, and waited for it to fall to 0.


	6. Hallucinations

Tony could feel the oxygen beginning to thin with every breath. The oxygen levels had fallen steadily from 22% all the way to 10%. Warning symbols and messages had begun to flash. He ignored them all. He felt his head begin to swim. With all his remaining strength, he pushed himself upward and grabbed his helmet, hugging it to his chest. He wanted to have it when he went. When it happened. He wanted to remember.

His throat was too hoarse and parched to make a sound, and groaned with each breath. His belly was an empty pit, a growing void of hunger and pain.

He was so ready for it to all be over.

Just as he’d closed his eyes, he heard a voice.

“Tony?”

His eyes snapped open. Nebula. She was back. He saw her silhouette swimming in his vision, concerned.

“Are you alright? Let’s get you out of here.”

He tried to reach for her, but his limbs were too heavy. He couldn’t breathe.

“It’s too late,” he tried to say, but she cut him off.

“It’s too late.”

He frowned. Her voice didn’t sound like hers, not at all.

And then she was Peter, and he was clutching his stomach, staring at Tony with pain and betrayal in his eyes.

“It’s too late, Mr. Stark. You can’t save me.”

And then he was the Mad Titan himself, glorious in armor and that horribly familiar gauntlet. As Tony watched, Thanos slowly raised his hand, snapping with a resounding, deliberate

Click.

“Tony? What’s happening?”

He turned and saw Pepper, hands dissolving. When their eyes met, she smiled shakily.

“It’s ok. You’ll fix this. You have to fix me, Tony.”

She turned to ashes, fluttering onto his hands like snow.

Click.

Then it was Rhodey, clutching his arm as it began to vanish. “Tony?” he asked shakily. “Tony, what’s going on?” Then as more of his body disappeared, the question in his eyes turned to disappointment.

“You were supposed to protect me.”

Click.

Rhodey was replaced with a horribly familiar scene – Peter, stumbling forward, clutching his stomach. Only this time, it wasn’t fear in his eyes. It was anger.

“How could you, Mr. Stark? It was all your fault. Bringing me to Germany, giving me the suit, putting me in danger. It was always your fault.”

And then he was gone, and faded.

Click.

“You see, Stark?”, and Tony turned back to face the Mad Titan. “There is nothing you can do.”

Tony trembled, but not with anger. With resignation. With fear. With defeat.

This was the end of his journey.

“Tony?”

He turned ready to face defeat again – and blinked. It was Steve, hand outstretched, but his hair was darker and he’d grown a short beard.

“Come on, Tony. You have to get up.”

He shook his head. He was too tired. But Steve set his brows stubbornly.

“Come on, Tony.”

Behind him, Bruce appeared in a plain gray shirt and jeans.

“Hey, Tony.”

Next was Natasha, looking flawless in a black stealth suit and short blonde hair.

“Plan on joining us anytime soon?” she quipped.

Then it was Clint, dressed all in black with his hood up.

“Miss me?” he smirked.

Then Thor appeared, grinning wildly with short, dirty hair and mismatched eyes and sporting a new, wicked-looking axe.

“Come on now, Stark. We need you.”

_We need you._

Behind them, people began to appear. Strangers, or at least, that’s what he thought, until he saw Peter’s beaming face through the crowd. Saw Rhodey wave, standing next to Pepper and Happy. Saw thousands more people appear, forming one massive, vibrant group.

“Who –“ he managed to croak.

Bruce smiled warmly. “The people you’ve saved.”

He choked. “You mean – all these people – “

“They’re alive because of you,” Natasha said. “Because you’re a hero.”

“Enough!” roared the Mad Titan, and Tony flinched as his five friends began to vanish. But they didn’t turn to dust, like the others. Instead, they filtered into glowing spots of light, smiling warmly the whole time. One by one the smiling people of Earth dusted into shimmering, dancing balls, fluttering like fireflies. Even as they began to wink out, Tony could feel their warmth in the air. He stretched his hand out.

His hand hit the dashboard, and he knew what he had to do. The warmth was there to guide him.

Behind him, Thanos chuckled. “You think you can escape, Stark? Die here or in the cold expanses of space, what difference does it make? There’s nothing you can do. You’ve failed.”

But his words were nothing. He was stronger than them, because he had Steve and Pepper and thousands of other people standing with him.

He grabbed the helmet with his left hand and stumbled towards the exit of the aircraft. He didn’t know how he could move, only that suddenly he could and he would not let the chance go to waste. Not when Earth was depending on him.

He could feel the pounding footsteps of the Titan following him, but he paid them no heed, and they soon petered out into nothing, ignored. He staggered, almost crashing into the door as he reached out and slammed the open button.

With a hiss, the door opened onto the vast void of space.

It was cold, so cold, but it wasn’t dark. The sparks of light and life drifted from the ship into the beyond, coalescing in the distance. Tony squinted, but he couldn’t make out the shape of the light. A ship? No… a person?

His legs gave out and he crashed onto his knees. This was it, then.

The light was growing closer, closer, but Tony could barely keep his eyes open to see it. He held the helmet to his chest, where it clinked against the arc reactor, and leaned forward into the cold vacuum of space.

Clutching the last of his fragments, Tony Stark fell towards the light.


End file.
